Ghost Girl
by RJEisenhuth
Summary: An alien entity has stopped the moon and Alpha in space. Only one Alphan can save them but it will be a personal and painful journey. Dedicated to Barbara Bain (Dr. Helena Russell). Congratulations on receiving your Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame!
1. Chapter 1

**Ghost Girl**

by R.J. Eisenhuth

 _(This is fiction and in no way intends to infringe on the right of any holder of **Space: 1999** )_

* * *

"We cannot understand you."

It was an alien language and it came from a space-web; a mass of asteroids that initially moved in on the moon and surround the Alphans. The light from a small sun made the rocks shine in various lovely colors and the sight might have been pleasant if there was not an imminent threat.

Maya, with her superior Psychon abilities, worked with Yasko to decipher communication. The women were both leaning over the console as Dr. Russell walked into Command Center, alerted by the Yellow Alert siren.

"Anything?" Commander Koenig asked, his expression grim when Maya stated she was beginning to make sense out of their verbal code but did not have the key just yet.

"John?" Helena gently touched his shoulder, questioning.

"The moon is being held by that entity out there." He said, indicating their big screen and the colorful diamond-like asteroids. "It doesn't seem to want to harm us but also doesn't understand why we are traveling through their space the way we are. We tried to explain that we are not in control of our trajectory but we're having communiqué problems." He then looked at her, "Anyone hurt?"

The moon stopping in space was sudden and violent but power was quickly reestablished and Alpha was no worse for wear. However, that would not last long if they did not start to move again in the next forty-eight hours.

"Draper in Transport broke his left ankle but other than that we are good." Helena advised.

"We've got it, Commander." Maya called. She pushed a few buttons, waited for the read-out, and told Yasko to send a reply. "The intelligence is very old but also a bit childlike. It said it is going to appear to us as someone from the past. It's reaching into the memory of one of our people and will talk with us as that memory."

"A memory?" Helena wondered, "I've stopped trying to figure out how an alien entity can do such things. There is so much we do not know. But what exactly does it mean when it says it will …?"

"We're about to find out." Tony Verdeschi warned as he and the others noticed a crackle on the big viewing screen.

"Hello …" It was a child's voice. "Is anyone there?" she asked.

Static filled the screen but seconds later it began to clear and soon the image of a beautiful little girl, appearing no more than seven or eight years old, was present. Her eyes were wide and blue, hair bright, curly and long, and her confused smile was inoffensively dazzling.

The Commander felt Helena stiffen next to him. He looked at her, at the stunned shock on her face, and at once knew who the little girl was.

"It's Karen." She gasped, her expression softening as she looked at the small smiling girl before them.

"It's not real, Helena." John whispered, his tone nearly urgent.

"Who?" Verdeschi asked, voicing the bafflement of everyone in Command Center.

They all looked to her and Helena, suddenly realizing the reality of the situation, was crestfallen. She glanced once at John, tears welling in her eyes, as he gazed at her with trepidation. "Oh my God …"

"Helena …" John started, attempting to reach out and touch her.

Overcome, unable to tolerate more, she turned around and quickly left Command Center. It was too much for Helena. Far too much.

"Where did she go?" the angelic little girl asked, appearing hurt. "Isn't she happy to see me?"

"Commander?" Maya asked, ignoring the image, still puzzled.

Koenig cleared his throat ever so slightly, uncomfortable. "Karen was Helena's daughter. She lost her the day after her seventh birthday."

* * *

 **Continue ...**


	2. Chapter 2

**(2)**

It had happened during her years at University. She was a young and serious student. She studied hard. Helena was determined to ace her lessons, to become the doctor her late Father wanted her to become, and nothing was going to stop his or her ambition.

Then handsome Walden Avery came into her life and swept the lovely young virginal medical student off her feet. Always thoughtful, Helena wanted nothing more than to be a scholar, but she fell in love. She and Walden's nights together, filled with promises of perfect prospects, were like dream. All was splendid for a year until Helena discovered she was going to have his baby.

Walden, feeling cornered, rejected her and the child. He then disappeared, leaving school and what some called a highly prized scholarship behind … All because he was afraid. Years later Helena would discover he married and had three other children. He supported them by managing a medical clinic, a far cry from the cardiac surgeon he aspired to be.

Distraught, Helena could not believe she had fallen for a spineless coward. He had lied to her and the young woman swore it would never happen to her again. Nine months later, still in school, Helena gave birth to a beautiful little girl. Initially, she thought to give the baby up for adoption. She was in no position to raise a child. But her mother insisted she would take care of the baby while Helena continued her education. After breast-feeding Karen, feeling the warmth of her child's skin against her own, and hearing her gentle coos, Helena's cool reserve melted. Truth be told, she wanted to keep her child all during her pregnancy but did not know how it would be possible until her mother stepped forward and offered her help.

Time passed, Helena entered into an internship and she saw Karen as often as she could. She watched her grow. Helena loved her little angel, was stunned to discover she had a beautiful singing voice, and beamed over the photographs her mother sent. One day she would have a nice long chat with Karen about their future together. Soon, Helena knew, she would be able to take her pick of hospitals to work in and she and Karen would be able to spend much more time together as mother and daughter

Sadly, it was not to happen.

One day, after Helena had worked a hard day in the ER, she received a call from her mother …

"You need to come home, Helena."

"I can't, Mother." she said, "It kills me that I will miss Karen's birthday but …"

"You must come home. Karen is not well."

* * *

"It was a rare child's virus called Maxim's Syndrome. It started out as nothing more than a cold but then a fever came, a rash, and by the time Helena got home the girl was lapsing into convulsions."

Maya and Tony looked at one another as John spoke quietly to them from his desk in Command Center. Both stood before him, blocking his view of the child on the big screen.

It had grown quiet and her eyes closed. The creature seemed to be napping. Koenig refused to think of it as a child. What it had done to Helena, forcing her to relive a painful memory, was brutal and unforgivable.

"And Karen died?" Maya asked, not unkindly.

"Not right away. She appeared to be recovering, Helena even celebrated her birthday with Karen, and they were happy to be together …" John's voice faded, "But something went wrong and Karen died the following day. Thankfully it was quick and – all things considered – straightforward. But Helena …" Again, John faded a little.

He recalled Helena telling him the story, the tears she shed, and the complete misery the revelation caused. He could only hold her and commiserate. Still, at the time, it had also warmed John. Helena thought enough of them as a couple to tell him something so personal. She wanted no secrets between them.

"Poor Helena." Maya lamented, "But she never told us ... Helena and I have talked and …"

"No one knows."

"Only you." Tony added.

Koenig nodded. He wasn't about to explain to them how he and Helena talked, shared intimate secrets no others could or should know. But Karen and what had happened to her was – indeed – one of those secrets, now revealed.

"Commander," Yasko called from her station, "The entity wants to talk but will only do it if her Mother … That is, if Dr. Russell is present."

Koenig, along with Tony and Maya looked again up at the screen. The girl was still there, awake now and playing a game with string it seemed. They needed to get out of this web but how could he ask Helena to face the child, as phony as she was, when her death had traumatized the woman so deeply?

Helena had never even placed Karen's existence into her personal record.

With a deep sigh, John Koenig stood. "Keep an eye on her … _it_." He said to Verdeschi. "I'll get Helena."

* * *

 _ **To be continued ...**_


	3. Chapter 3

**(3)**

Their breathing had evened out, bodies at ease, her fingers resting gently on his bare chest as they lay in her bed. Both were drained and slightly thrashed – but also satisfied.

"I took advantage of you." She whispered into his ear, "I'm sorry, John."

He covered the slender hand with his own, "If ever you feel the need to take advantage of me again, Helena – just ask." He smiled, his voice a gently teasing growl. His other hand and arm encircled her, softly stroking her naked back.

It had been a mad moment in time.

He came into Helena's quarters, saw her appearing miserable and emotionally exposed, and he walked over and held her. John told her everything would be righted, all would return to normal, but they needed her in Command Center. He gently explained what the child, that absurd alien intelligence, wanted. John also told her he knew how difficult it was going to be, and if there was any other way he would remove this burden from her and see to it that nothing like this would never happen again …

Then she looked up at him, her lovely eyes moist with emotion, passion, and an odd determination. Helena whispered, _"I need you."_

He did not immediately understand until her hand and agile fingers reached below his belt and touched him. "Helena …" He started, surprised and reluctant but also inexplicably aroused. "We can't do this _now_. We …"

" _Yes_ … yes we can!"

And indeed they did. Clothes were dispensed with, bodies came together, fervent kisses were exchanged, and they both cried out – bodies and minds - with a mad desire.

It was crucial. Helena wanted something she trusted to hold onto, to stop the pain.

And, despite his words, John was willing to help her – and also help himself.

* * *

In the aftermath, holding her close, John Koenig remembered when he was young, still in high school. He was told by a worldly uncle to never take advantage of a girl when she was vulnerable. Women really did not understand what they were doing when hopelessly sad … but young John came to understand that while that was true with most there were a few girls – independent ladies – who knew exactly what they were doing. They were objective and part of that self-will was knowing what they wanted, when they wanted it and, despite conventional wisdom, they could love as deeply and permanently as those innocents his uncle told John to adore and protect.

Helena was a combination of both these type of women ... Odd, he thought, to discover the woman he loved was a conundrum of the best kind.

Koenig's comlock beeped and Helena moved to give him better access to the table where it was left, "Yes." He answered, disappointed by her absent warmth.

It was Maya, "Commander, the child is becoming insistent. She wants her mother."

He glanced at Helena as her eyes closed, coming to terms with the inevitable. "Tell it … We will be there very shortly."

The connection broke and Koenig wonder briefly if Maya could see he was lying in bed. It did not matter. Koenig saw and felt Helena sit up and he joined her. He placed the comlock on the sheet and his hands were gentle as they massaged her slender, burnished shoulders. Her beauty and strength, even under such circumstances, never ceased to amaze him.

"Are you ready?" he asked, knowing she was. He could practically feel her resolve.

Helena's eyes took in their clothes, the crumpled uniforms and discarded boots that were quickly dispensed with, as they lay on the floor around her bed. _What_ , Helen suddenly wondered in what her lover might consider a moment of womanly vulnerability, _would she do without John Koenig?_

"Let's quickly shower and dress … then go to Command Center." Helena said and pushed the sheet aside.

* * *

 _ **To be continued ...**_


	4. Chapter 4

**(4)**

"But I don't understand. If you did not intend to be here … why are you here, Mommy?"

It spoke with the voice and mannerisms of a child, curious and confused, her small fingers pulling at the red hair of the doll she held, but its questions were as pointed as any alien, wanting answers.

"I know it's confusing." Helena said, "Let me try to explain it again , Karen …"

Koenig marveled at the steadiness of her voice as Helena, who paced near the rows of computer panels near his desk, spoke steadily and with purpose. He looked from her, noting how Helena rubbed her hands together and clenched and unclenched her fingers, betraying her nervousness and heartache. Helena never really looked at the screen, at the girl, but she answered her kindly and clearly.

He looked over at Tony who appeared as skeptical as himself. This whole exchanged was ridiculous but could not be helped. It had chosen Helena as its conduit of negotiation, refusing to speak with any other, and they were at its mercy and Helena's mediation skills.

Maya looked worried as she glanced from the screen to Helena. She, as well as them all, knew how difficult it was for her friend. If she had been asked to do the same thing for a member of her own departed family, having to speak with an image of Mentor, her mother or brother, Maya doubted she would be able to continue without crying or eventually collapsing with grief. If she had ever doubted Helena's courage Maya certainly thought her the bravest woman she'd ever known now.

John recognized her strength, understood how Helena could do the job at hand, despite the questions coming from a vision of her long-dead daughter. He too wondered how he might react if the aliens had pulled Jean, his dead wife, from his mind and forced him to speak with her again.

He was shaken out of his reverie when the child laughed. He glanced at Helena and saw her gently smiling. Had the two actually exchanged a joke?

"I think I understand now." The girl on their big screen said, "And I will release the moon shortly and set you free." Her innocent child's smile turned fanciful. "I wish … _so_ wish I could be with you always."

John noted how Helena paused before she spoke.

"I .. I know, darling. I miss you too."

"We will be together again one day, Mommy. I know we will."

"I'm sure you're right." But this time Helena could not disguise the tremble in her voice. "And when that happens …" she raised her arms, "I will hold you and hug you like never before."

Koenig noted that Verdeschi crossed to his desk and as Helena and the girl … the alien … spoke he place a call through Alpha and told all section to prepare. Soon the moon would be on its way again.

As the child's image faded from the screen her last words left a heartfelt echo: "I love you, Mommy. Goodbye."

"Karen …" Helena moved forward a bit. For a moment she appeared a woman once again losing something near and dear to her heart.

John walked over to her and, gently placing his arms around the woman, he guided Helena to her chair in front of her own console. He sat her in it, kissed her gently on the forehead, wishing he could do more to make Helena feel less anguished, and watched as Sandra reached over and gently patted her hand.

As was promised, the moon again started its journey. The jolt was not quite as violent as before and, thanks to Tony's earlier call through Alpha, damage was at a minimum.

After a few minutes, as Command Center was receiving reports from each section, Helena stood and made her way to the double doors. John reached out and grasped her hand, looking at her for a moment, and felt the squeeze of her hand in his. She was all right but needed to go to Medical Center - and perhaps needed some time alone.

They exchanged a long gaze and he nodded, letting her go.

* * *

 _ **Final Chapter ... coming soon.**_


	5. Chapter 5

**(5)**

Victor had stored three bottles on Alpha and the third, even so many months after his passing, had never been found. During the first part of their journey, when the Alphans found themselves thrust into deep space, there came a time when Commander Koenig and Professor Bergman had a conversation over a cup or two of brandy.

They cracked it open and sampled the first bottle as they were moving into a black sun. They thought it would be their last drink together, the final time they would be able to partake in something so simple but pleasurable. They sat on the steps leading into his office and despite the circumstances, thoughts of death and inconceivable individual loss, it was good.

The second bottle came out after the attack by the alien, Balor. John rested, bruised and battered as a result of he and the psychotic alien's final battle. The Commander felt stiff, exhausted, and in need of a good drink. Bergman complied. This time they were in his office's lounging area. Feeling a little loose, somewhat lightheaded, their conversation turned to friends they once knew and current comrades.

John looked at Victor, sipping from his glass, and asked: "Why do you suppose Helena and Lee Russell never had children?" It was an odd contemplation and had he not been drinking the Commander might never have voiced it. These were during the days when he still kept his feelings for Helena to himself.

Victor's brow's raised slightly. "I'm not sure. Helena obviously adores children. You see how she is with Jackie Crawford. I suppose it's a question _you_ will have to ask her one day."

He did.

Later, when he and Helena became closer, determined to be exclusive, and had voiced their love – when they had gotten around to speaking about the future - how the Alphans might one day have children, John asked Helena why she and Lee never had a child together.

He remembered her looking a little away from him then, deciding it was a reasonable question, said: "We were both working hard during the first part of our marriage. He was a space explorer and I was busy at London General. We really had no time for children. We barely had time for each other. Then later …"

He noted regret.

"We looked into it and discovered Lee could not have children. I suppose we could have adopted but we were both busy professionals and … and happy in each other's company." Despite the assertion Helena could not disguise the disappointment in her voice.

"And now?" John asked, probing.

A mild smile appeared on her face as she looked at him, "Are you asking me for a reason, John?"

"Maybe. I'm not sure." he admitted.

She said, "I think _that_ is my reply too."

Despite her strength, the appearance of Karen's image, along with all the unpretentious behaviors of childhood, was far more harrowing for Helena than she was willing to admit. Still courageous, she never the less grew quiet over the next few days. When John told her Computer gave him a night off during the same evening as herself, she appeared pleased but not exactly over-joyed.

"Would you rather be alone?" he asked her.

"No." she replied quickly and smiled up at him gently, realizing her despondency was taken for disinterest. They were standing in a hall just outside of Medical Center. "I'm fine, John. I _do_ want to spend time with you." She leaned into his embrace, "I'm just not certain if I will be good company for you."

And he knew why and was angry he had thought only of himself when she was still mourning the departed vision of her beloved daughter. It was his job to alleviate her pain, not become self-absorbed.

That afternoon, almost by the grace of an all knowing deity, or perhaps Professor Berman himself, John found Victor's last bottle of brandy. He checked the bottom drawer of his dresser, a stark white box he seldom opened, and found the brandy. There was a note attached: _For John. Drink this when you truly have a reason._

"Victor, even now you are a man of vision." He murmured, thinking kindly of the older man. He truly missed him. Professor Bergman probably meant it to be consumed when they found a new home but John could not think of a better time to drink the brandy than with Helena – when she and he needed it the most.

* * *

 _ **Continue to Epilogue**_


	6. Epilogue

**Epilogue:**

* * *

"I cannot believe we did this!" she giggled confidentially, almost ingenuous, sitting on the smooth balcony floor, her knees drawn up to her chin.

They clinked glasses together, wrapped-up in silky blue sheets, naked underneath, and resting on a few plump pillows.

"We needed something exciting and different." He responded and sipped his brandy. "I wanted tonight to be special."

"You succeeded, Commander." She drank again from her glass then reiterated, "You said Victor left this for us and you _just_ found it?"

"It was almost like the old boy meant it to happen this way."

"Victor was always very perceptive."

Stress-free, they both looked up through the windows and skylight. John and Helena were resting on the floor of the balcony in Main Mission. No longer functional but low-lighting ever present, it was a place lovers came to talk, make promises, and indulge in romance. Often there were more than one couple benefitting from the magic of the stars … but John, taking advantage of his command comlock, locked the Main Mission doors so no one would disturb them.

Then he and Helena, brandy, sheets, pillows, and heightened libidos in tow, crafted their bed and made love under the stars! John was simply stunned she had so easily agreed to it but when he showed her the bottle of brandy – told her he needed her to understand his intentions - Helena was sold.

He asked her, "Are you feeling better?"

Helena's smile faded very slightly and she nodded, "I really am, John. The more I think about it the more I see it as a sort of blessing."

"Blessing?" he appeared unconvinced.

"I was forced to face something I had nearly pretended never existed. I loved Karen but was never the mother she needed."

"Helena …"

"No, I tried to be there for her, made my mother call and tell me how she was doing, sent her presents when my career forced me to be away from her on special occasions, but she was a little girl and needed her mother. I just wasn't there for her like I should have been."

"You were building a future for the both of you."

"I was. That's true. What's the saying? Hell is paved with good intentions?" Helena put her glass down on the floor beside them and pushed is very gently away. "But I was also fulfilling a promise I made to my Father. I was going to be a doctor, the best doctor I could be, and nothing was going to stop me. Sadly, that included my child. Then, when she died, it was almost as if some ethereal force was laughing and telling me I now had all the time in the world to accomplish my calling." Helena gulped slightly and was soothed when one of John's hands caressed a bare upper arm, "In the end, I think it was guilt that made me move forward. I tried to put it behind me but I could never forget Karen – and now I don't want to." Helena raised her head and her eyes met John's, clear and firm. "That denial came back to bite me, as it should."

His fingers moved up to her shoulder and he traced gentle lines against her smooth skin, "I'm not unfamiliar with the idea of running away from things." John admitted, "And someday I'll tell you about that. But not tonight."

She nodded, chuckling slightly. There were some things even undivided lovers needed to take one step at a time.

"But just know that I think you would be an incredible parent and was probably a far better mother than you thnk you were. I've seen your love and loyalty, Helena, and if Karen adored you like I think she did, if that depiction on the Big Screen was any clue, you did nothing wrong. You and she loved each other. Some families don't have that type of affection at all ..."

Helena nearly said something, seeing a hint of hurt in his expression, but thought better of it. He said himself they would talk about it another day. He wanted tonight to be for her and she was smart enough to allow him this pleasure. Here and now, they were together and happy. "Thank you, John." She whispered, looking into his eyes. She then leaned forward and kissed him gently on the lips, her arms encircling him.

Pushing his own brandy glass aside, he carefully lowered her back onto the pillows, passions ignited, and they again made a gentle and heartfelt love under the light of the stars above.

They would get through this and other personal concerns. Somehow and in some way the ruler of the universe brought together an Earth man and woman on their world's moon, gave them access to a deep and enduring relationship, and – for now and always – allowed them the time and ability to love deeply and sincerely.

Above them the stars winked and the music of the cosmos strummed gently. Perhaps the learned face of a brilliant scientist looked down at what he always knew was possible and a little girl, wise beyond her years, also smiled.

Life continued in deep space and on Moonbase Alpha.

* * *

 **The End**

 **May 2016.**

* * *

 _I wrote this as a sort of Mother's Day treat for those Mom's, step-Moms, or Mom's-at-heart out there._

 _Have a wonderful Mom's-Day and, please, if you get a chance let me know how you felt about this fiction._

 _Remember, an author does not know if she or he has done well unless you tell us! Take care - Becky_


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